The official name for Human Design Gate 38 is The Gate of Fighter. But I call it The Purposeful Fighter because its primary action is to fight for things that have meaning and purpose.
About Human Design Gate 38 – Gene Key 38
Archetype Name: The Purposeful Fighter
In Action: fight for things that have meaning and purpose
Keywords: perseverance, making meaning, struggle, and being discerning
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Official Gate Name: Fighter
Human Design Definition: The ability to preserve individual integrity through opposition to detrimental forces.
Core Theme: Pressure to find or struggle for purpose in life. In this context, pressure is not necessarily a problem. It’s really about acting from the amount of pressure that is correct for you.
Bodygraph Center: Root center and connects to the Splenic center via human design gate 28.
Tropical Sign: Capricorn
(Want all of the correspondences and keynotes for the gates of your incarnation cross? The Human Design Map is for you.)
The Energy Spectrum of Human Design Gate 38
All energy in the Human Design chart exists on a spectrum of potential.
On the “positive” end of the spectrum, Human Design Gate 38 is the energy for fighting for a purpose. The 38 enjoys the pressure (created by the root center) to evolve and make life meaningful. It is the energy to fight for what is “right.”
On the “negative” end of the spectrum, Human Design Gate 38 is the energy for fighting for the sake of fighting and can have a tendency to believe that life is meant to be an unhealthy struggle.
If you don’t like the results that the “negative” side of the spectrum is creating in your life, you can raise the frequency of Gate 38 with a number of boundaries, practices, and tools.
(I cover the practices for the gates of your incarnation cross in the Human Design Map.)
The most important thing to raise the frequency of gate 38 is to challenge and re-write any beliefs that you are “meant” to struggle in life and reconnect with your “fighter” spirit.
My personal contemplation of Human Design Gate 38 (Gene Key 38)
I don’t have gate 38 defined in my chart, but my husband does. And since gate 28 is defined in my chart (4 times!), we create the whole channel of struggle together.
And I can confidently say that my husband has energetically taught me so much about suffering and struggling.
In my relationship with him, I’ve seen the conditioning that leads me to believe that suffering and struggle are noble.
In our culture, we worship at the altar of suffering and struggle.
We often coalesce around the fires of complaining, one-upping our problems, and making sure everyone knows what a victim we are to the shit sandwiches of life.
We use complaining as a shitty substitute for connection and true intimacy. Sometimes, venting our woe-is-me stories is the backbone of our closest relationships.
Suffering and struggle have become a badge of honor.
My suffering badge of honor took the form of believing that I was meant to be a dumping ground for bullshit.
As a 5/2, people often saw me as someone who could save them, and I believed them. And I thought that, somehow, this made me a good and worthy human.
But, in walks my husband, and everything changes.
With defined integration channels in his design, he operates differently than anyone I’ve ever known.
(I do a deep dive on all channels inside the Human Design Map portal. Get yours here.)
Our relationship has challenges, of course, but he has never been one to assume that I’ll clean up any metaphorical messes he has made with his life. In fact, the opposite has been true.
And that provided a potent mirror for my healing.
His way of being, combined with understanding my human design profile, showed me how deeply I was creating unnecessary suffering.
As I peeled back those layers, I started to see the beauty of gate 38. It is truly magical and has taught me so much.
Some say that we “must” struggle – that life is a struggle. Others say that suffering is optional or simply a state of mind.
And while there is at least a little truth in every cliche, it isn’t so black and white. There is nuance and many shades of grey.
Gate 38 invites us to look under the surface of our struggles, suffering, and victim mindset.
(I’m not talking about actual victims of crimes, etc. I’m talking about the mental state of believing that you are a victim of life itself.)
Suffering doesn’t mean we are doing life right or wrong. It isn’t that we should or shouldn’t struggle. And being honest and vulnerable about where we actually are in our lives is a beautiful thing.
It isn’t about judging ourselves (or others) at all.
(Removing judgment and replacing it with curiosity is a huge part of deconditioning and is the foundation of what I teach you in the Human Design Map Portal.)
Instead, when we are deep in the throes of struggle, with no end in sight, it’s a sign that we are putting unnecessary pressure on ourselves to be a certain way. Usually, that is in the form of making “negative” meaning or purpose (the low frequency of gate 28) from the things we think, feel, and do, and we are fighting for something that doesn’t actually matter.
And in that state of stress, we forget the magic of who we really are.
But when we go within and become present with any sense of struggle, suffering, and victimhood, our bodies will show us what is worth fighting for and what isn’t.
And, in my book, knowing your Divinity is worth fighting for.
The right amount of pressure isn’t a built-in recipe for struggle.
When it’s the right amount for you, it won’t weigh you down; it will move you deeper into recognizing your Divine Nature. It can help you find yourself in the Divine game of hide-and-seek.
And finding that just right amount is all part of the fun.
Now it’s your turn to contemplate Gate 38
When you stand in the truth that the gifts of Gate 38 are available to you, whether you have it in your chart or not…
What is your relationship with persevering, meaning, struggle, and discernment in your life?
What have your experiences of “fighting” shown you about what matters to you?
What are your life complaints showing you about what is worth fighting for and what isn’t?
What is your “just right” amount of struggle?
Are you willing to let go of “too much” struggle and suffering? Why or why not?
I encourage you to take some time with these questions. Take them out into your world and let their answers reveal themselves to you. Intend for deeper levels of clarity about gate 38.
And, if you have gate 38 in your Human Design Incarnation Cross, be sure to check out the Human Design Map where I go super deep into each gate of your cross.